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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28760028">The Hand That Feeds</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/KJGooding/pseuds/KJGooding'>KJGooding</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Trek: Deep Space Nine</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>First Meetings, Gen, Medical Experimentation, Obsidian Order</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:48:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,471</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28760028</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/KJGooding/pseuds/KJGooding</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>As a probe for the Obsidian Order, Elim is assigned to seeking out vulnerabilities in Tain's network of operatives.  After a chance meeting - and observing a great vulnerability - he must stifle feelings he was unaware he had.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Hand That Feeds</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>There is a bit of grisly field surgery in here, please be aware if that is not your cup of tea.  It is brief, but present!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Elim had a troubled relationship with his apprenticeship.  With each task he volunteered to do, his responsibilities would multiply, leaving him very little time to himself.  But he was young and eager to prove himself - he had the energy and the willingness, and he needed to work until he had the technical prowess and the unquestioned power, too.  </p><p>On that front, things were going well with Tain.  He oversaw Elim’s work three days a week, and left Elim alone for the rest, waiting to see what progress he would make without supervision.  Strangely, the quality of Elim’s work did not vary much whether he had an audience or not; it was only his work ethic that preened for recognition. </p><p>Tain had entrusted him with a database of all other active Operatives, above Elim’s entry-level rank.  The objective was to find any who might be at risk of compromising The Obsidian Order, betraying Tain’s trust, or sabotaging their efforts.  The method of Elim’s research, however, was completely open-ended.  He went to great lengths to ensure he was being thorough, including sacrificing several nights of sleep in favor of sitting curled up in his private office scrolling through the contents of seemingly endless stacks of data rods.  ‘Private office’ made it sound more grand than it was; it was a disused linen closet down the hall from Tain’s private office, so it bore the title only by association.  It was dimly lit and the walls were soundproofed, but there was enough room for Elim to sit comfortably in an armchair in front of his computer terminal, without fear of being crushed.  That was more a testament to Tain’s lavish mansion than to Elim’s claustrophobia. </p><p>Three sleepless days into his project - and no more than a tenth of the way into the biographies of every active agent - he heard someone walk past his door.  He was never alone in the house, but the other inhabitants knew better than to make noise.  This was the unmistakable plodding of heavy boots on carpet - Elim could hear the percussive pattern continuing down the hallway.  With such a dramatic sound and well-trained cadence, he assumed this was a military man.  </p><p>He waited several minutes before quietly sliding his door open, peering out into the corridor for himself.  Upon finding it empty, he saved his progress and removed the data rod he was working on, tucking it into a pocket inside the silken lining of his tunic for safekeeping, and went to investigate.  It was equally rare for Tain to rely on the military as it was for them to voluntarily enter his headquarters.  Surely this would be of greater immediate benefit than his research, Elim thought.  What if Tain needed his protection?</p><p>Elim had to stifle his excitement at this prospect as he crept down the hallway, leaning his back against the wall, sidestepping with stocking-clad feet to ensure he did not meet the uneven, creaky edges of the floorboards underneath.  He knew this house well, knew its imperfections, basement to luxurious upper balconies.  He could move through it silently at any hour of the day. </p><p>Elim stopped several paces away from the door to Tain’s office.  Curiously, it was left ajar, and Elim did not want to lose any advantage by making his presence known.  Not yet, anyway. </p><p>“You understand,” Tain was saying, in a leisurely tone, “this would be a temporary assignment.”</p><p>“I do,” the visitor replied.  “I’m tired of the bloodshed.”</p><p>“Hmm,” Tain’s tone became indeterminate.  “Is that why you were dismissed from your post, Doctor?”</p><p>“I wasn’t dismissed, I resigned.  It isn’t a secret.  It was my commission or my patient’s life, and I don’t work that way.”</p><p>Elim turned his head, just enough to get a limited view of the office interior, obscured by the door panel itself.  It would suffice.  He wanted to get a look at this disgraced Gul, or whatever they were.  This <em> doctor </em>. </p><p>They appeared to be a few years older than Elim, and the side of their face gave the impression of youthful candor, soft, round, and highlighted with blue-tinted blush.  Their hair was shiny and long, pulled up in a style much simpler than Cardassian women were known to wear.  It was drawn into a single loop, with a pair of metallic clips flanking it, holding it up near the top of the doctor’s head.  </p><p>“And by <em> patient </em>,” Tain was seated at his own computer terminal, glancing over it at choice points in his accusation, “you mean the newborn child of Glinn Tevera--”</p><p>They cut Tain off.  Oh, they were bold to a fault. </p><p>“And a Bajoran woman who works in the mill at his compound.  I’ve delivered eighteen other babies just like them, and I refuse to believe their life, itself, warrants a death sentence.”</p><p>“I’m not here to debate that,” Tain said.  “In fact, I find many of those children useful in my line of work.  Come, Doctor.  Have a seat.  I rather <em> like </em>how unconventional you are.”</p><p>The doctor winced at this, visibly enough for Elim to catch, but ultimately stepped forward to the chair Tain had indicated, out of sight.  Elim found himself fixated on the sight of the stranger, and he fell face-first against the door, only steadying himself after forcing it to slide the rest of the way open.  He was mortified but knew he could not backtrack fast enough.  So, if he had been detected, he had no choice but to double down. </p><p>“Ah, Elim,” Tain said, on the verge of irritation.  “Come in, this may be of particular interest to you.”</p><p>“I only wanted to show you what I’ve found so far, Sir,” Elim lied easily, even removing the data rod from his pocket to bolster his claim.  “Are you sure this isn’t a bad time?”</p><p>“Please,” Tain said simply.  “This is Doctor Parmak.  I’m due for my quarterly appointment.  State compliance, mental soundness, all that.  The military keeps us accountable, don’t be shy.  We do the same for them.”</p><p>Affronted, Doctor Parmak unlatched their armor, opening the soft maille under one arm, prying the two sides apart until they were free of it.  The malachite interfacing made a loud clattering sound as it hit the floor, and again as Parmak kicked it beneath the chair Tain offered them.  They stripped the boots off, next, and Elim realized he was watching the process intently, <em> overtly </em>.  </p><p>“I resigned,” they said. </p><p>“And so will I, someday,” Tain’s voice was falsely amiable.  “This is Elim, my protege.”</p><p>The compliment only made Elim braver, and he went on watching Parmak strip free of the identifying components of his armor.  </p><p>Parmak stopped only upon reaching the standard-issue blue undergarments, insulated and tightly clinging to every bit of sensitive skin from wrist to ankle.  This did not help to sever Elim’s gaze. </p><p>“My apologies for any unwanted attention, Doctor,” Elim said.  “I have… not often seen men in the medical field.”</p><p>“You still haven’t,” Parmak insisted.</p><p>Tain watched. </p><p>“I’ve signed up for an experimental procedure,” Tain said, measuring exactly how long it took for Elim to look at him again.  Too long.  “I’d like to have a witness.  That is, if the good doctor has no objections.”</p><p>“None whatsoever,” said Parmak, gruffly. </p><p>“Very good.  Elim, sit.  Listen, <em> watch closely </em>, you seem to have no trouble doing that.”</p><p>“None whatsoever, Sir,” Elim echoed Parmak’s sentiment, and even took over the chair they had been inhabiting.</p><p>They were standing, holding their medical kit in the crook of one arm and sifting through it for the implements Tain requested.  </p><p>“No anaesthesia,” Tain corrected, causing Parmak to drop a packet of medicine they’d selected back into the depths of the bag.  “No surprises.”</p><p>“Marvelous,” Parmak said. </p><p>Elim felt uneasy.  The tension in the room was palpable, and the air took on a certain icy quality he could only define in terms of Tain’s glare, an expression he tried so hard to copy.  Parmak may have come here to assassinate Tain, by order of a Gul or on their own disgraced authority.  Or Tain may have every intention of mining them for knowledge of exploitable children, making blackmail readily available for officers all across the quadrant.  Or, Elim was stricken with the realization along with a sharp pang in his chest.  His presence was the only thing keeping the two of them from threatening each other, but, at the same time, it put all three of them into even greater danger.  </p><p>“What is the nature of the procedure, Doctor?” Elim asked, cool and attentive, giving the impression of a student taking notes even without a PADD, pen, or paper.  </p><p>“I am installing an emetic-oropharyngeal implant to filter toxins and expel them upon recognition.”</p><p>“Has someone been trying to poison you?” Elim gathered, looking at Tain with concern. </p><p>“It’s a reality of the job,” Tain said.  “But this will make it easier to see <em> whom </em> , and with <em> what </em>, without my - no offense, Doctor - needing to rely on taking a physician into my employ on a permanent basis.  I’d rather never see one again.”</p><p>Parmak chuckled dryly and set up their materials on Tain’s sprawling desk, littered with printed books and electronic devices alike.  </p><p>“I will need you to lean back and allow me to unhinge your jaw,” Parmak said, in a collected way that made Elim shiver. </p><p>Like many reptilian lifeforms, Cardassians had the ability to extend their mouth, allowing them to eat larger portions immediately before succumbing to seasonal hibernation, to keep them alive and nourished as they slept.  As the need for hibernation evolved out of them, so did the need to excise the redundant joint in their mandibles.  Without anaesthesia, either. </p><p>Parmak rolled a pair of glistening purple gloves up their forearms, and set up a miniature sterile-field on Tain’s chest.  It sent beams of high intensity light from there into his eyes, constantly cleaning everything in between.  </p><p>Elim realized he was about to see a <em> great </em>vulnerability unfold in front of him.  But if things went wrong and Tain needed someone on his side, perhaps it was best for him to be there.  He felt uncomfortable and unsure, and the thought of suddenly rising from protege to leader on account of a misguided stab from the surgeon both enticed and enraged him.  How bizarre, for all of them to leave their fates in one another’s hands.  What an odd chance for him to stumble onto this moment - or had Tain anticipated it?  Tain was always anticipating him to stumble… </p><p>Tain and Parmak delivered simultaneously on their promises.  No sooner than Tain had reclined in his chair - unhitching a lever to flatten the back - Parmak performed a similar procedure - jabbing a scalpel into Tain’s fleshy jowl, tickling the necessary joint, buried between lymph nodes.  With this accessed, Parmak could manipulate the jawbone and set it intentionally out of place, leaving the open space necessary for the device to be implanted.  </p><p>The procedure was more disturbing because Tain remained silent, throughout it.  Tain even denied topical and oral medications; he would not allow Parmak to administer anything until the implant was placed, allowing him to discern whether or not this was an assassination attempt, in itself.  Elim certainly got the impression Parmak was that clever, but not that they were hostile.  They were confident and misguided, but they did not seem to have any personal interest in Tain’s work.  </p><p>“Much better than your reading, isn’t it?” Tain gargled, causing Elim to notice the alarming puncture-wound at the base of his throat.</p><p>Parmak had stemmed the bleeding, already, but the hole remained, granting them access to the device.  They slid it down into place in one swift, trained motion, and Tain lacked the compulsion to gag.  </p><p>“Yes, Sir,” Elim said cautiously.  “Very… <em> educational </em>.”</p><p>“Mm,” Tain sighed, in affirmation. “I thought so.  I’m pleased you got to see this, after all.”</p><p>“Is that it?” Elim asked, feeling relief in turning his attention to Parmak.  </p><p>“Indeed,” they said.  </p><p>They seemed to share the same relief, although nothing in their composure was anything less than professional to begin with.  Still, who wouldn’t be relieved at finishing a procedure on Enabran Tain, against reasonable medical advice but somehow to his satisfaction?</p><p>Elim continued watching them as they regenerated the tear they had made in Tain’s neck and collected the beads of blood into a suction tube.  They had a soothing air about them, now, as if they had simply stopped caring and embraced that emptiness.  It was something Elim strived for every day - to stop worrying so much about Tain’s opinion.  </p><p>Parmak cleared their throat and confirmed Elim’s hopeful suspicion. </p><p>“I don’t think I can sink any lower than this,” they said, peering into Tain’s mouth to appraise their work.  “It’s been a pleasure.”</p><p>“I’ll be in touch if it gives me any difficulty, Doctor,” Tain said, sitting up and catching the sterilization device in his hand. </p><p>Parmak took it, switched it off, and threw it into their bag. </p><p>“It shouldn’t.”</p><p>“Superb.  Then we shouldn’t need to see one another again.”</p><p>“No, I suspect not,” Parmak said, in the same strangely distanced tone. </p><p>“Elim, will you show our guest the way out, please?”</p><p>Tain unfolded a mirror to study the work for himself, and waved his hand dismissively in Elim’s direction.  </p><p>“Certainly, Sir.”</p><p>Awkwardly, he stood, and led Parmak through the winding corridors, down the stairs, and to the grand foyer at the entrance.  His steps were measured, but they were not as quiet as they usually were.</p><p>“It was a pleasure to meet you, Doctor,” Elim said, meeting their eyes.  “Truly, I mean that.”</p><p>Parmak glanced over Elim’s shoulder and decided to conclude the interaction outside, with the door shut behind both of them. </p><p>“I would advise against letting your father know that,” Parmak said quickly.  </p><p>“How did you—?”</p><p>”I have delivered babies into the arms of parents with the same hollow panic and regret on their faces, as if they wish the birth itself had never occurred,” Parmak took a breath and saw no signs of disagreement from Elim.  “I don’t think he’d like you to look at me that way ever again.”</p><p>Elim bypassed the accusation, and returned to staring in his own peculiar, awestruck way. </p><p>“...like this?” he asked. </p><p>“Indeed.  I’d like nothing more than to return to my practice, but it seems I’ve run out of options, and that this will be my last procedure.”</p><p>“I wish we had met under different circumstances,” said Elim. </p><p>“I have a feeling we will, in time.”</p><p>Parmak peeled off the bloodstained gloves and dropped them in the threshold, defacing the intricately embroidered tapestry that bore Tain’s family crest, there for all to contemplate and cautiously step <em> over </em> rather than <em> on </em>. </p><p>They touched Elim’s cheek, then, in a rush, turned away and fled. </p><p>
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